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Monday, February 24, 2014

Mexico Week 1 -- Welcome to Mexico

OH my lovely family, you don't even know how much I love you! So I'm pretty sure I was born here! I can't believe it's only been a
week!

My package made it to me safe and sound .. yeah for a pillow and bedding! We get our mail once a
month via our leaders, so keep the goods coming! HaHa! I'm kidding, but if did want to send me some snacks I wouldn't complain. Speaking of food, it is so GOOD here. I
think I'm going to gain a hundred pounds from homemade tortillas. But really,
nothing too spicy or too wild yet, just the good stuff! Members feed us every
day around 2 or 3 and that's the big meal here! Knock on wood, but I
haven't even gotten sick yet! I was more sick from the MTC cafeteria food!

Let me just tell you how much I love music. For reals, we
sing hymns at the beginning of every lesson and I just love it. The people
here don't really sing; therefore they think I'm super talented, which is really kind
of funny when you think about it! I just love the Spirit that
music brings and I always want that in my home. I really love our ward too. Everyone is so welcoming and pretty
patient with my Spanish! But really, people here are so friendly. Complete
strangers in the street will invite us into their homes and give us fruit, and everyone just loves to talk!

It's a little hard here because we have a lot of investigators
with baptismal dates, but they just don't have sincere desires. There are also
a TON of less actives. Their hearts aren't in it and it kills. Sometimes you
think, well flip, maybe we need to teach better or leave better comittments,
but the truth is, everyone has their agency. I know that if my hearts in it,
the Lord will qualify me, and He will lead me to people. Our message is incredible
and it's true. We can do it!

I want to tell y'all about Saira. Saira's family
is less active (but they came to Church this week!). She's not a member, but
she´s in her twenties and is honestly so great. We taught her the other night
and the most incredible Spirit was in the room. We invited her to be baptized
and she said that she knew it was true, but that so many people get baptized
and become less active, she feels that it's a big commitment and just wants to
make sure she's really in it. She said that she wasn't saying yes, but she also
wasn't saying no. We're teaching her again tonight and I'm flippin pumped. I
know that she feels it. We practiced the lesson this morning and I really feel
it. She's just so great! I´ll keep you posted on how it goes!

Alright, now for the real stuff. Spanish is kind of hard. Everyone
tells me that I speak really well and they always get surprised, but I don't
feel that way at all! Somehow I forgot that I wasn't going to be fluent in the
first week. Shocker right? Haha, when some people speak really fast, or
pronounce things weird I get totally lost. If we're talking about church stuff, I'm right there! Start talking about general life .. NO IDEA!! I was expecting people to make fun
of me, but no one has. In lessons, they always pick me to say the prayer and
then just welcome me here. Everyone is honestly so nice. I can't even tell
you.

I did have my first breakdown the other day though. I was just so
frustrated that I didn't understand and I felt like I couldn't be a good
missionary if I couldn't even talk and I don't know....Satan sucks. I know that
he works in our minds so hard and we really have to watch ourselves. One time I
was feeling pretty down about language and we went to visit a couple that's
investigating the church. We got to their house and they gave us a Coke and this
fresh fish on tostadas and told me how good I sounded. Literally it was like a miracle. I know that Heavenly Father is always aware of us. I had just been thinking
about Coke earlier and you know how I love fish and ahhh, it's the little
things that are truly blessings. So here's me .. with a Coke and a smile!

At church yesterday, I realized that I was
wanting to be good with the language for me, because I wanted to be a good
missionary, because I wanted to understand. Kind of a lot of "I's" right? I
realized that until I turned out and it was really all about the people, I was
going to struggle. I realized that when I'm motivated by love, Heavenly Father
makes things happen. Right after this, I understood pretty much all of Gospel
Principles and a lot of Relief Society. I'm having to learn what it means to be
patient and truly rely on the Lord. All in due time, right?

I love all the "moments" of the week that y'all share with me .. They are so great! I love you all SO SO SO MUCH!! Keep being your great wonderful selves!